Life, 1902-08-07 · page 22 of 22
Life — August 7, 1902 — page 22: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
The cartoon satirizes upper-class social pretension. A fashionably dressed lady asks her maid if anyone called while she was out. When told "no," she expresses puzzlement, wondering what people think she does on her "at home day"—a scheduled time when wealthy women received social visitors. The joke targets the anxiety of social status: the lady is troubled that *no one* visited during her designated reception hours, suggesting she lacks sufficient social importance to attract callers. This reveals the shallow concern with appearances and social standing among the elite. The phrase "Moonshine" (meaning nonsense/absurdity) confirms the satirical intent—mocking the artificial importance placed on these social rituals. The page is otherwise advertisements for cigars and liqueur, exploiting associations with royalty and prestige to sell luxury goods.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
August 7, 1902, The Lady; DD ANYONE CALL. WHILE 1 Was OUT? The Maid; No, Ma'am. “THAT'S VERY STRANOR, I WONDER WHAT PEOPLE THINK I HAVE AN * aT HOME Day’ PoR.”— Moonshine, NOVE NA 2 The finest Imported Cigar Gold Medal, Paris Exposition, 1900. A BOOK OF AFTER-DINNER STORIES FREE ware Derr @ = Made in the old-fashioned honest way of Pure Habana Tobacco delightfully blended Look for the Bull Dog on each Box J°hn W. Merriam & Co. The Roycroft Segar Shop, which is “At the Sign of the Bull Dog” NEW YORK We were selected to make EaGLeE LIQUEUR DISTILLERIES ee mugivntmom = CINCINNATI maoe, the cigars for the Official and Royal Banquets at the Coronation of | King Edward VII. 2 orary wuiexres THE Waisxrr CALIXTO LOPEZ & CO., 177 Peart Street, New York. Zulueta Street, Havana. BB BE (> (2 (> comicbooks.com